"Nights of the Candles"

Christmas at the Queen's Tower
for the 4th consecutive year Christmas 2025
more than 25 performances

Artists

Nikos Spanatis, countertenor

Rezarta Krougia, violin

Semeli Kostourou, cello (specific dates)

Alba Lymtsiouli, cello (specific dates)

Countertenor Nikos Spanatis accompanied by Alexis Mastichiadis on the harpsichord, gave a concert for the first time in history of the Queen Amalia’s Tower at this very place… to make a long story short… Queen's Tower is catalogued as a National Monument of Greece’s recent history. The Tower was inaugurated in August 1854, and initially was the vineyard and country house of Greece’s first royal family. For several years The Queen’s Tower was left locked up but eventually in 2011 opened it’s doors back again to the crowd with guided tours and thousands of visitors since then. Many major events has happened there since then. The famous "Candlelight Nights" firstly presented there during the Christmas period of 2022, staging 15 concerts. Word of mouth caused a great success and so in 2023 Xmas period there were 17 concerts staged and the very next year topped up with 23 concerts with Athanasia Manou on the harp that time.

The central Hall of Shields of the Queen’s Tower and parts of the garden will be lit up again this Christmas as well as the historic Gothic chandelier inside the Tower.

The 4.5-meter Christmas Tree, along with a dreamy Christmas table, will set the tone and the magic of the holiday.

Vassilis Koutsavlis will welcome the audience with a presentation on Christmas customs and traditions around the world.

The renowned countertenor Nikos Spanatis with his distinctive voice, and the excellent Rezarta Krougia on the violin and Semeli Kostourou and Alba Lymtsiouli on the cello, will create a reverent but still festive atmosphere of rare musical sensibility.

Program

Leroy Anderson (1908 - 1975)
"Sleigh Ride"

Hugh Martin (1914 - 2011) & Ralph Blane (1914 - 1995)
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
Messiah "But who may abide"

Stephen Flaherty (1960 - )
Anastasia "Once Upon a December"

Giulio Caccini (1551 – 1618) attr. / Vladimir Vavilov (1925 – 1973)
"Ave Maria"

Ukrainian folk chant "Shchedryk"
"Carol of the Bells"

Émile Waldteufel (1837 – 1915)
"The Skater's Waltz"

Adolphe Adam (1803 - 1856)
"Cantique de Noël"

Howard Blake (1938 - )
Snowman "Walking in the air"

The program is a selected mosaic of classic and beloved popular songs that embrace the solemn spirit of Christmas.

From Leroy Anderson’s depiction of a sleigh gliding in the snow with "Sleigh Ride," to the deep emotion and sweet melancholy of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane.

Masterpieces of instrumental music will be performed by the violin and cello.

The "Once Upon a December" by Stephen Flaherty, known from the movie "Anastasia," and "The Skater's Waltz" by Émile Waldteufel, a danceable, elegant, and ethereal composition that will sweep the audience onto a snowy ice rink under the stars. Georg Friedrich Händel with "But who may abide" from the "Messiah" offers a commanding moment, where the countertenor showcases his technique through the composition's demanding coloraturas. Likewise, Caccini/Vavilov's "Ave Maria" is a celestial and captivating melody of absolute serenity and spiritual light, a beloved work in the history of the Tower's events. "Carol of the Bells," a thrilling Ukrainian melody reminiscent of the sound of Christmas bells, and Adolphe Adam's aria "Cantique de Noël" (O Holy Night) will add another atmosphere of absolute reverence and solemnity. The program will be concluded with one of the most beloved songs of the Candlelight Nights, "Walking in the Air" by Howard Blake from the film "The Snowman," a dreamy

melody that, with its ethereal atmosphere, invites us on a journey through the clouds on Christmas night.

All quests will be offered Queen’s Tower’s vineyard’s selection of wines, along with a platter of cold cuts, cheeses, pie, spring rolls, breadsticks and variety of goods.

Significant note: The Queen’s Tower is a recent monument of our country, and for the protection of the monument, no refreshments will be served inside the Tower.

Due to the extremely sensitive floor, special care will be taken, and ascent to the first floor of the Tower will be necessarily done without shoes, no one excused.

The duration of the event will be approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Event start time: 19:30

Information at the Tower's telephone number 210 2313607

Artists' Biographies

Nikos Spanatis, countertenor 

Born in Frankfurt. He holds a degree, a postgraduate degree (Integrated Master), and a PhD with distinction from the Department of Music Studies of the Ionian University. He has studied advanced theory, trumpet, and holds a piano degree. He studied lyric singing with Rosa Poulimenou and Aris Christofellis and graduated with a Diploma and First Prize under soprano and conductor Mata Katsouli. He has appeared as a soloist in all theaters in the country and has been invited as a soloist to International Festivals and Institutions in many cities in Greece as well as abroad (London, Tallinn, Amsterdam, Venice, Finland, San Sebastián, Belgium, Madrid). He has collaborated with all Greek orchestras and has performed repertoire roles, some of which were written for him. He is a vocal instructor at the Department of Music Studies of the University of Ioannina and the Artistic Director and Professor of Singing at the National Conservatory of Ymittos. (Official website: https://www.nikosspanatis.com)

Rezarta Krougia, violin 

Born in 1992, she is a musician with extensive artistic and educational experience. She holds a degree in composition from the Ionian University, a violin diploma from the Athens Conservatory, and a postgraduate degree specializing in the violin from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She has collaborated with orchestras and chamber music ensembles in concerts at the Athens Concert Hall, the Herodion, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the Athens Conservatory, the Theoharakis Foundation, the Parnassos Literary Society, etc. At the same time, she has given solo concerts with a repertoire ranging from early music with period instruments to works of contemporary music.

Semeli-Sophia Kostourou, cello 

Born in 1992 in Thessaloniki. She began cello studies at the New Conservatory of Thessaloniki with George Manolas and continued at the Orfeio Conservatory of Athens with Nikolaos Kotzias, where she received her diploma with honors and Second Prize. From 2021 to 2024, she studied at the Nuremberg University of Music, in the postgraduate program "Cello – Master of Music," in the class of Markus Wagner, where she completed her studies with the acquisition of a master's degree. From 2018 to 2020, she was a member of the Young Musicians Academy of the Athens State Orchestra. Since 2019, she has regularly collaborated with the Camerata – Orchestra of the Friends of Music. Her work includes recordings for theater and cinema, appearances as a musician on stage in theatrical performances, as well as collaborations with classical and contemporary music ensembles in Greece and abroad. She has also completed studies in Architecture.

Alba Lymtsiouli, cello 

Born in Madrid. From the age of 5, she built her relationship with music through different musical instruments. First with Sara Bondi on the flute, and at the age of 12, she started cello lessons with a legend in Iberia, Maria Do Macedo. She graduated in cello from the Federico Moreno Torroba State Conservatory in Madrid, 2023. She is a member of the Intercultural Orchestra of the Greek National Opera. She studies International Relations at the University of Piraeus (PAPEI). A sample of her work in the theater includes the performances: "Angelica Nikli Solomou, The Transparent One" by Periklis Moscholidakis. "The Blind" by Maurice Maeterlinck, also directed by Moscholidakis. "The Stranger, Rhapsodies z, iota, theta of the Odyssey" directed by Michael Marmarinos.